Digital Capacities Index - Quantitative Findings

The Digital Capacities Index is a pilot survey instrument developed by researchers at Western Sydney University and Google Australia. The survey was administered by Pure Profile in Febuary 2016.

Introduction

We included a total of 158 items measuring (a) frequency of various online behaviour, (b) levels of agreement with statements about digital capacities, (c) perceived importance of online activities and (d) ease of use of digital technologies.

We further distinguished questions into the following key thematic areas, or what we have termed, following James (2014), ‘critical issues’. These issues are:

  • Competencies (42 indicators).
  • Interests (44 indicators).
  • Resilience (24 indicators).
  • Social Connectedness (48 indicators).

These four issues were distilled from a list of nine issues that also included Engagement, Inclusion, Policy Environment, Infrastructure and Consequences.

Against these four issues, we selected items and scales from existing sources in the literature where possible. In particular we drew from ‘Kids Online’ (Livingstone et al. 2010), Helsper’s (2012) ‘Corresponding fields model’, a study by Humphry (2014) of mobile use among homeless populations, and indicators compiled by the Young and Well CRC. Other indicators were developed by the Digital Capacities Index team.

A large number of candidate scales were distilled down to the current list after two day-long workshops, and testing of the survey.

Demographics

The survey included a total of 2,157 participants. We requested the survey provider provide a panel in terms of age groups, gender and geographic regions. As the panel provider recruited participants online, our pilot sample is expected to be skewed towards Australian citizens and families with comparatively high digital capacities. This caveat is signficant to the interpretation of our results below.

Age

Participant ages ranged from 18 to 91, with a median value of 45.

Figure 1 provides more detailed age demographics:

Figure 1: Age Frequency

These show participants’ ages correspond approximately to Australia’s adult demographic. 44.2% of participants were aged 35-54.

Gender

Participant gender is roughly evenly distributed. The survey included 1,105 (51%) women; 1,048 (49%) men; and 4 (0.19%) identifying as ‘Other’.

Gender demographics are distributed, as show in Figure 2:

Figure 2: Gender Frequency

Combined Age and Gender

Combined age and gender demographics are distributed as per *Figure 3:

Figure 3: Age & Gender Frequency

These figures approximate to Australia’s adult age distribution, as reported by the ABS in 2014 in cf(“age.gender.freq.abs”) below, though with a considerably higher skew towards younger women and older men.

fig_nums(“age.gender.freq.abs”)

State and Location

Participants are distributed by state as follows:

The split of participants between urban and regional/rural is as follows:

Results by Critical Issue - Aggregated

Competencies

Our survey asked participants to respond to two questions about competencies:

  • Frequency of online activity
  • Perceived ease of conducting online activity

Frequency of online activity

Frequency of online activity measures frequency of 15 different activities, ranging from highly common activities such as sending email through to less common activities (in 2016), such as writing blogs.

By activity

The graph below shows the relative frequencies of each activity. Using the Internet generally (for work, study, and for personal use), sending email and social networking are the most common activities. Streaming music, playing games with others, sharing media and writing blogs or diaries are comparatively uncommon activities.

Aggregated online activity

Perceived ease of conducting online activity

Interests

General Interests

Interest in seeking difference

Interest in fitness and health improvement

Interest in keeping in touch

Resilience

Frequency of harmful events

Responses to statements about online harms

Willingness to engage with others

Social Connectedness

Maintaining connections

Attitudes towards Technology

Overall results

Index scores

Aggregated by age

Aggregated by age

All Questions

Appendex 2 - To Be Completed

References

Helsper, Ellen. 2012. “A Corresponding Fields Model for the Links Between Social and Digital Exclusion.” Communication Theory 22 (4). Wiley Online Library: 403–26.

Humphry, Justine. 2014. “The Importance of Circumstance: Digital Access and Affordability for People Experiencing Homelessness.” Australian Journal of Telecommunications and the Digital Economy 2 (3). Telecommunications Association: 55.

James, Paul. 2014. Urban Sustainability in Theory and Practice: Circles of Sustainability. Routledge.

Livingstone, Sonia, Leslie Haddon, Anke Görzig, and Kjartan Ólafsson. 2010. “Risks and Safety on the Internet: The Perspective of European Children: Key Findings from the EU Kids Online Survey of 9-16 Year Olds and Their Parents in 25 Countries.” EU Kids Online.